Used as a key intermediate in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, particularly in the development of central nervous system (CNS) active agents. It serves as a structural building block for drugs targeting psychiatric and neurological disorders, including antidepressants and antipsychotics. Its piperidine core with fluorinated aryl and hydroxy substituents enhances binding affinity to certain receptors, making it valuable in medicinal chemistry for optimizing drug potency and metabolic stability. Also employed in research for designing novel opioid receptor modulators due to its structural similarity to known analgesic scaffolds.